05. Creative Story Examples

There are a number of creative ways to use story and even stories within stories.

For example, Netflix’s political drama House of Cards adopted the marketing mindset that Frank Underwood and House of Card characters are totally real. They created a full election website and commercial that aired during a presidential debate.

The Salvation Army in Canada used Facebook 360 photos to give users a more rounded view of poverty. At first glance, posts resembled a typical holiday greeting card, with smiling faces and festive scenes in the background. But when users interacted with the ads, they saw a different story.
See more about the campaign here.

Some stories, don’t even need words. GoPro, sells personal cameras, and is best known for videos highlighting extreme sports. But their "Fireman Saves Kitten" clip told a different story.

Finally, consider Humans of New York. It began as a photography project of Brandon Stanton’s in 2010. The initial goal was to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers on the street and create an exhaustive catalog of the city’s inhabitants. Then he began including quotes and short stories alongside his pictures.

Brandon didn’t start Humans of NY for marketing purposes but what he does is the essence of great content creation: he forms relationships. This skill has allowed him to repurpose his initial content into books, videos, and even very successful fundraising efforts.

In fact, following Hurricane Sandy, Stanton photographed the residents, volunteers, and first responders who lived through the destruction. He used his pictures and the stories of his subjects to connect with donors. As a result, he raised over $300K for victims of the Hurricane.